Torben Moth Madsen, Rosa Danica:

"40% more scented pot roses this Mother's Day"

"It's that time of the year again that the demand surpasses the supply", says Danish pot rose grower Torben Moth Madsen of Rosa Danica. In the run up to Mother's Day, celebrated on May 14, the demand for their pot roses is high and the demand for the scented ones increased. "It is the second year that they are producing the scented potted roses for Mother's Day and this year we increased the production by 40 percent."

Torben Moth Madsen in the greenhouse of Rosa Danica. (Photo made by Gartnertidende)

Full houseThis year, Rosa Danica's 14 ha greenhouse is completely filled with potted roses (10ha) and campanulas (4ha) and they are almost sold out. "We adjust the production to the orders we receive. Usually, we still have some room left in the greenhouse, but this year, it is fully loaded with plants. We received a lot of orders from the European countries that celebrate Mother's day on May 12", says Madsen.

Scented rosesRosa Danica put the first scented pot roses, called RosAroma, on the market in 2015. These roses are bred by German rose breeder Kordes Roses and are exclusively grown by Rosa Danica. Since the introduction, the demand increased sharply. And this year, the demand for these scented roses for Mother's Day are higher too. "We received more orders so we increased the production by 40 percent."

And regarding the production, Madsen is pleased with the quality of both, the scented and the regular roses. "We have had a perfect spring for potted
roses, not too cold and not too hot", he says.

Scented roses of Rosa Danica.

ColorsUnlike the UK, many other European countries do not have a color preference. "In the UK, where Mother's Day is held on the fourth Sunday of Lent, they only demand pink colored roses. In other European countries, where Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May, the color does not seem to be that important. All colors are in high demand."

Busy week aheadNow, Madsen is waiting for the roses to start flowering as the first Mother's Day plants will be shipped out next week. The week after, the majority of the plants will be shipped out. "It will be one of the busiest weeks of the year."